Chapters I take a sip from the bottle of lukewarm water in my holey hoof and shift to get just a bit more comfortable in the barely standing chair I sit on. I've only been back from a scavenging run for an hour and I find myself already wanting to leave again if only to escape the stuffy atmosphere of the Ward 13 that we call home. It's been like this for 3 years now but it feels like it's been at least 20 or something.
I can't remember a time when it wasn't like this; fighting the Root, scavenging for every scrap of food and drop of water we could get our filthy hooves on. Hell I can't even remember my name, my whole identity, memories of my past life and all, long since forgotten as a side effect of constant exposure to the World Stones. I'm not the only one neither.
The 'lucky' few which form some sort of bond to the stones are the only ones that leave the Ward nowadays due to the root prowling the streets of the ruined city. Heh lucky they call us. Dying nearly five times every week only to come back is just as traumatizing as it sounds, you never get used to it.
"Hey come on we gotta get going" A deep Stallion's voice says to me. I look up at and quickly identify the large, grey Pegasus before me as Scrapper, already in his armor, a personnel friend of mine for about a year now and one of my two partners in our routine scavenger trips, he got paired with us when his old team just up and left.
"We just got back. At least let me rest for a little bit longer, feels like my hind legs are gonna give" I say in an almost as deep voice as the Colt in my home... shack.
"We don't find it, we don't eat it remember? Now get your coat on X is waiting for us" He responds in an upset tone all his own.
"Yeah yeah... Lemme just put this... somewhere" He nods and makes his way out of the non-existent door in the doorway. Looking around and eventually just deciding to lean over and put it on the broken down air conditioner that serves as my table, making me miss the magic I used to be able to perform, I get up and pick up my coat and small gas mask just where I left it on the cold concrete ground in a corner in my shack and start heading over to the armory.
While I am bumbling my way over to the armory I feel the air itself heating up from the twin forges the armory sports. Entering the armory I spot a familiar friendly face, Rigs.
"Hey I thought I'd see you sometime soon so I got your usual gear ready for you" The pure black earth pony stallion greets me with his trademark grin that almost feels like it warms your very soul.
"Hey Rigs and yeah I just got told by Scrapper to 'get your shit' so here I am!" I say to Rigs with fake enthusiasm and my own friendly fanged smile.
"Well at least one of us gets to see the sun every now and again friend, go see Mccabe to get your mods sorted while I finish up" He tells me with a somewhat sympathetic look in his eyes.
"Yeah probably should" I respond, the smile vanishing from off my black muzzle at the mention of my favorite engineer.
"I can hear you two you know" Said engineer sneers from her work station next to Rigs'.
"Heeey Mccabe I'd love to talk but I gotta meet up with-" I try to salvage this already downhill conversation but get interrupted by Mccabe shoving my of so beloved mods roughly into my chitin covered chest.
"Take your shit and get outta my sight remnant" She says with a tone of finality and hostility, taking the hint, I retrieve my weapons from Rigs and start affixing them to the backpack he also provided while stowing my sidearm on my flank.
Wanting to leave the now awkward situation I hastily and unceremoniously shove the mods into the bag, put it on my back hanging from my withers and leave the armory without another word, starting for the World Stone room down the hall.
Trotting inside it's the familiar large room with barely working consoles on one side and the massive crystal we call the World Stone on the other, all basked in an orange glow from the crystal. I quickly spot Scrapper without his helmet, which was hanging from his side, talking to a smaller Pegasus stallion that I recognize as X simply from his wide brimmed hat. X sees me and waves me over.
"So we doing a regular run or are we going somewhere else in that God forsaken city?" I ask.
"Scrapper didn't tell you?" Looking at said stallion for confirmation. "Well... not exactly" X says to me, I give him a confused look and remain silent "Recently or five minutes ago, there was a new World Stone that popped up. Normally that would mean somepony just found a quick way back here but when I decided to go out and meet them... Well. Lets just go, you two need to see this to believe me" X informs us, I look to Scrapper and try to silently ask him if he knew about this. He didn't.
I put my front legs on the World Stone along with Scrapper and X and close my eyes, awaiting the now familiar feeling of dematerialization.
It arrives and I feel myself being pulled harshly but not uncomfortably or painfully, if that makes sense, then the feeling of being hastily put back together comes and goes too.
I open my eyes to see my hooves on a much much smaller World Stone than the one in the Ward, I look around the crystal and see my partners doing the same. I turn to analyze where we are and am greeted with a sight that should have been impossible considering what was left of our world. Green trees, and lots of them too.
"X? You wanna explain the color of rust I'm seeing? Or rather the utter lack of it?" I say to my cohort.
"Can't tell you what I don't know. That's why I got Scrapper to get you, this is unfamiliar territory and I'd rather my team be with me when we find possibly interesting or flat-out dangerous stuff!" He informs me excitement clearly in his voice and on his face with a hint of curiosity behind his eyes.
"So Scrapper when you said 'we don't find, it we don't eat it' you really had no idea where we were going did you?" I ask the now sheepish looking Scrapper while flexing my insectoid wings.
He opens his mouth to say something but those words died in his throat when a mares scream tore out through the otherwise silent forest.
Looking to my brothers-in-arms we all ready our weapons and Scrapper puts on his helmet, my Chicago Typewriter or a bundle of cobbled parts which resembles that, Scrapper's shotgun or a bunch pipes that also resemble a shotgun and X's hunting rifle which is actually a lever-action hunting rifle. Noding to to each other we start galloping towards the direction of the scream.
Clearing some brush that's to thick to run through with my scrap sword I spy the mare/s that likely let loose the source of our impromptu journey and I have to admit, they're all lookers.
The head of the group is a lavender unicorn, don't see many of those anymore, with a violet mane with a stroke of pink in it and a cutie mark depicting a pink star surrounded by six other stars, who is currently looking confusedly at the rest of her group.
The middle of the group consists of an orange earth pony with a blonde mane, a stetson? And three apples as a cutie mark, who looks like she is going to shout at something, looking angry. A pure pink earth pony with three balloons as a cutie mark who is staring at wide-eyed at something as her mouth hangs slightly open. A rainbow-maned cyan Pegasus with a cloud with a rainbow lightning bolt coming out of it as a cutie mark and she looks ready to kill something, her wings flared.
The back of the group, cowering on the ground, is a yellow Pegasus with a long pink mane and a cutie mark depicting 3 butterflies. Said Pegasus looks up at the sound of the thick brush being cut into by my scrap sword and screams at the sight of the three of us.
The rest of the group of mares turns to regard us but none of us see them turn as our attention is focused solely on what they looking at before.
A hoofful of tall figures stands before them made purely of gnarled wood, standing tall on three trunk-like appendages while holding a large serrated knife on one arm and a large throwing axe on the other with 2 large horns on the top of it's head and multiple red glowing dots where a face would be is something I wish I could never see again.
While the mares are facing us, assuming we're the closer threat, X quickly aims his hunting rifle and fires 3 shots quickly killing one of the seven 'devils'.
The sound of the shots stun the mares, probably never seen a gun before, while I also aim my typewriter and pump more than a hoofful of rounds into two separate devils while Scrapper unceremoniously charges into the fray shotgun in one hoof and his handy dandy scrap hammer in the other.
Scrapper fires a shell into a devil, killing it instantly, and drops his shotgun not having time to chamber another shot and uses both hooves to smash another devil into smithereens. He turns in time to see one of them throwing it's axe towards him, thinking quickly he uses his wings to aid in propelling him to the side, dodging the axe.
X obviously being smarter than I pumps a round into the offending devils head ending it and leaving the last one.
Me. Too busy being transfixed on Scrapper being Scrapper didn't see another axe mid-flight until it cracked my chitin and buried itself into my chest, gasping from the sudden and unexpected pain, stagger backwards while starting to bleed profusely, earning a simultaneous gasp from the mares. Slightly miffed from the pain but absolutely livid from being hit in front of others, not forgetting the fact they're also all beautiful mares, I decide shooting the rest of my 60 round magazine (So like 20) into the singular devil was a good choice, so I did.
After we were finished with our bout of violence on those unsuspecting devils we turn to the now terrified and angry mares.
Me in all my brilliance decide to break the ice.
"Sup" I greet coolly. Axe still buried in my chest, blood leaking out and all.
Author's Note
Oh boy. Writing the main 6. This is gonna be painful.
Author's Note
Ok so I might be redoing some of the dialogue from the show except maybe redoing key parts to help the Remnants fit in, mainly to try to aid this little world I'm trying to build so if something doesn't match up from the show it's not the end of the world. I should also note that the player character in remnant from the ashes simply does not exist here so there we go!
The road less traveled
It's time's like this where I curse my sheer and utter lack of forethought because after I try to be cool and impress some mares... Well that was the longest minute of my life. Filled with sweet nothingness as the pin-prick eyed mares, every single one of them, stare at me some with fear and a couple with anger. As this silence lingers on I find myself being extremely thankful for the hood on my coat hiding my eyes, my near useless mini gas mask obscuring my fangs and the dark of the forest obscuring my chitin covered hide, they would escalate this already awkward situation.
Trying again in all my smartness "You ladies come here often?" my voice now thick with hesitance and caution as I see the cyan one reaffirm her aggressive stance, wings never relaxing, still fully flared.
I'm was about to make the situation worse by commenting on the not-so-lovely atmosphere but am silenced by a strong tug, knowing these two well enough I safely assume that Scrapper pulled me back, he was always the voice of reason in our little terrific trio.
"You'll have to excuse my travel partner fine mares, he's an idiot" Well he isn't wrong... "But since he decided to make contact I'll ask you if those wooden creatures have appeared recently or if they have been here a while" He asks them, his voice stoic as he regards them and I'm sure his face would have been too if it wasn't covered by the welders mask dinner bowl combo helmet.
The mares relax, if only a little, at his firm and somewhat disarming tone, but still remain tense at what they witnessed only minutes before.
"And why should we tell you?!? Are you some kind of spy?!?" the cyan mare accuses. The only thought I commit to that statement is what?
"I assure you that we only came to-" He tries to explain but is interrupted by her again, god even I know when to let the colt speak.
"What if you were sent by Nightmare Moon to stop us from getting the elements of harmony? Or maybe you were trying to capture us! Or-" She tries to ramble on about what we could be doing in this dark foreboding forest but Scrapper had had enough. It's hard to get him angry but rub him the wrong way and he loses it quick. I learned that the hard way, my flank still aches every now and again.
"SHUT UP YOU STUPID RAINBOW-MANED WHORSE. IF WE WERE HERE TO STOP YOU GETTING YOUR BLOODY ELEMENTS WE WOULD HAVE LET THE ROOT DO IT FOR US" He tore off his helmet, revealing his black mane on top of his grey coat, launched forward and grabbed her muzzle and hauled her over to my chest, or more accurately, the axe taking up residence in it. "Look at it." The Pegasus turned to look from him to my +1 but immediately averted her gaze. This was getting very uncomfy. "Look. At. It." He commands in a harsh tone and she does so, albeit her face paling a bit.
"If my friend Hunter here was a regular pony he wouldn't have survived that so tell me. Little mare. What would of happened if we didn't show up" She opted to remain silent. An unwise choice in the presence of the now livid Scrapper. I'd pray for her safety but I'm a bit busy shitting bricks myself.
"You know, we jumped into action to protect you lot from those Root. But you know how we handled them so easily?" He asked nopony in particular. "We have to kill dozens of them almost daily I can tell you something. Those are among the weakest Root we've seen and yet they're more than capable of killing us if we aren't paying attention. So. Little mare. What do you think would have happened if we didn't kill them before they got to you? Tell me. Now." His voice was so calm yet so furious, so gentle yet so rough. It sent chills down my spine and I wasn't even on the receiving end of it.
Now trembling she tries to answer "W-w-we w-would have-" but she never finished as X snapped out his trance.
"Scrapper that's enough!" X said while galloping over to him. Scrapper turns toward him just in time to catch a glimpse of X as he gets a sweet haymaker to the jaw. Damn . Now I pride myself on being bold and and facing everything with a smile but I don't think I'd EVER have the stones to do that.
Now clutching his aching jaw, Scrapper looked to X with a growing look of shame on his face as realization struck him.
"I lost it again didn't I?" He asks but before anypony could open their mouth to respond, he was already gone.
Deciding to deal with him later X turns to the mares "Now look we obviously aren't the nicest bunch but if there's more Root out there then I'd like to offer my assistance as an escort to your destination, actually, sorry ladies but we will be with you. While you may be able to handle yourselves the Root are something else entirely. This is non-negotiable as I now see you as my responsibility and you will leave this forest in one piece" He states with a tone of finality.
Now this has a range of reactions from the yellow ones further cowering to the pink ones ever growing smile and the cyan one still looking crestfallen from Scrapper's little rant to the orange ones ever squinted eyes.
"Despite my reservations about this... You three at least look like you know what you're talking about" the purple one agreed. More than a little confused from Scrappers extreme and sudden mood shift.
After a few more minutes of bumbling around I painfully dig the axe out of my chest and we get moving, feels strange being in one spot for that long, especially without shooting shit. Scrapper joins us after X went to check on him and reattaching his helmet to his side. His return was met with a couple jolts as I chuckled at their reaction.
Now as we're trotting in total silence the cyan one looks really... upset. As much as she probably deserves it for something or other, I slow down from the middle of the pack and turn my head to make sure I don't bump into anypony. I spot that cyan mare at the back of the pack with Scrapper being just as slow. Being on the receiving end of Scrapper before, I can relate the feeling of shitiness she is no doubt feeling right now. Scrapper spots me and gives a sad yet knowing smile and quickly speeds up to take my previous place. All my gear chunking along. I take up space next to her, maybe a bit too close, and open my gob.
"I'm not good at these kinda talks but I know how you feel. Trust me I've taken enough of Scrap to know who he is by now." She gives me a sad look. At least it's better than looking at the ground, PROGRESS, I hope "He does everything for a reason, he probably saw your behavior as something that could bring the rest of us in harms way or something. I'm not him nor am I a mind reader but I know a fair bit about the colt behind the armor. Like how he cuddles a small frayed teddy bear when he sleeps or nuzzles it when he thinks nopony's around" I speak that last part a whisper to preserve some of his dignity and get a chuckle for my reveal. "He's not a bad colt when you get to know him but when you rub him the wrong way, what you saw, is a whole different animal. What I'm saying is, he cares too much. But personally I wouldn't want him any other way" I finish. She looks a bit better, brighter with a small smile on her muzzle, no doubt about his little bear 'Sir Fuzzball' which I'm still struggling to not laugh about to this day.
"Hey thanks for coming to talk to me and sorry calling you guys spies. I just didn't want anything happening to my new friends and those wood things really put me on edge" She explains with me nodding along.
"Yeah that'll do it. Those things you saw, we call them devils, only because of the horns. They're actually the second easiest root to deal with but the only problem with them is 'If they're is one, there's more' that's what commander Ford said to me though. I'm Hunter by the way" I find conversation come easy around her. She just gives me this vibe I guess.
"Rainbow Dash and you seriously call them devils? Well I guess the horns make sense but they just look like some kinda glowing, living weeds" She said back to me seemingly just as easily but much more cheerful.
"We do and let me tell you they are weeds-" I try to make a joke about how I'm the weed killer but was cut off by-
"MANTICORE!" Shouts the purple pony. The three remnants of the group spring to action, like X rolling from the front back to us to give himself aiming room but we quickly spy the yellow pony trying to stop them fighting, we look at each other and think the same thing 'this is her battle' as the white one jumps at the manticore and bucks it in the face.
"Take that you ruffian!" She taunts in a high society voice that I already dislike. The manticore responds with, surprisingly not a claw or bite to the face, but a roar that knocks her curly mane out of whack. I thought she was fine but she turns and runs away screaming about her hair. She one of those then. Ohhh boy.
With me distracted the manticore decides to smack me with it's large paw, sending me easily 10 metres before I even hit the ground, before I smash into a stray tree. Damn trees they should grow in a different place if they're gonna end up in MY way.
Rainbow Dash sees this and charges the manticore as the orange pony gets flung off it's back. Rainbow Dash misses her 'all yours partner' and quickly starts creating a mini tornado around just the manticore. She's fast is all I think before passing out.
I'm awoken by a splash of water being thrown into my face, mainly from it going straight through the mask and up my nostrils. One coughing fit later I look around me and see I'm the center of attention. They all look at me differently. From my team's look of disappointment, or more so a disappointed look in the fact I didn't dodge, the purple's look of thought or what I believe is a thinking face, orange's look of suspicion, highty tighty whitey's look of disgust while looking at our clothes and Scrapper's armor, pink's and yellow's look of concern and Rainbow's clear worry.
"Hi" I greet stupidly which gets a sigh of relief from most present.
"I think he somehow got dumber from that, didn't think you could get that low of an IQ" He jests which earns a laugh from all but Dash and I. Me from giving him a raised brow but Dash was a bit busy helping me up so she just gives him a sour look.
With that, we continue on our trek to wherever they're going we learn of orange's, now known as Applejack or AJ, saving purple, also now known as Twilight Sparkle, from definitely dying by way of falling off cliff. I haven't caught the pink ones name because she has yet to stop talking, and she's talking so fast it's basically white noise, I haven't caught a word of it. The yellow one has yet to talk to us, she's really jumpy, like REALLY jumpy. This one time I stepped on a twig, by stepped I mean reared up and crushed because it was thick, she screamed and darted underneath AJ. Rainbow, still next to me, just gave me a smirk and raised eyebrow.
'Jeez how far are these mares going?' I thought to myself as the path got darker, but remained clear for me due to changelings naturally living in dark places, this remains true in Ward 13 I love my dark corner.
“Ugh, my eyes need a break from this icky muck” Rarity declared.
“That ancient ruin could be right in front of our faces and wouldn’t even know it” Twilight shouted out in frustration.
A ruin eh? These bunch don't seem like the tomb raiding sort... Wait didn't Rainbow mention something about 'The Helements' or something?
“Pardon me, I didn’t see you there” Rarity apologized after unknowingly walking into X at the front, who had slowed down to avoid bumping into anything, knowing about my night vision yet also knowing I wouldn't warn him. Clever colt.
“Right over here I think there’s… Guh.” Rainbow called out and was bumped into by Pinkie Pie who somehow ended up going the wrong way.
“Oh wait. Ah think Ah stepped in somethin’.” Applejack said as she paused in place and held up a mud-covered hoof. 'Huh first time she's spoke up since we appeared' I thought.
“Ahh!” Fluttershy suddenly screamed, startling all of them.
“What? It’s just mud?” She commented as she stopped in place as a tree loomed over her. She shouted in alarm and fled to land close by Fluttershy.
Me and the Boys ripped out our guns, not because of the trees but because of a certain group of things appearing from the ground which isn't all that different from the usual considering what they are.
"RUN!" X roars as he opens fire. The sound of said gunfire startling them into running deeper into the looming yet unmoving trees. 'They'll be fine' is my last thought as I let all higher thinking go, and open fire.
Scrapper having a pump action/lever-on-top-of-his-pipe action just storms into the group of now 16 Hollows. 'Wait didn't we already kill some of those?' The corpses confirm my thoughts but the now 18 Hollows obviously don't care. So after reloading another drum into my typewriter I let my mind wander as I gun down a few more Hollows, don't need to think about it, Hollow's are the weakest Root there is. I think of the mares, mainly Dash and her pretty mane but I can't help but think of all of them and how much more comfortable they are with us with the exception of yellow. Even AJ is less suspicious of us, still is though, and den dere be pink. The only thing I ever caught from her was 'Bestest best funnerific party ever' before promptly losing her again.
My train of thought is wrecked however by a lance of sharp pain going through my left foreleg. Looking to my trusty appendage I find an 'arrow' poking though where one of my holes definitely aren't. That butchery of the fine art of archery can only be left behind by only one type of thing.
With the risks of this unassuming dust cloud in mind I unload what I can into the Sapper but it, infuriatingly, teleports away, as they always do.
"Careful. Sapper around" I call to my team. Without making sure they heard I assist in clearing the rest of the Hollows.
I take note of X seeing something and snapping his rifle at it before using his trained aim to shoot five round into what I would think is a skull.
"Sapper down" X calls out, relief laced thoroughly in his voice.
"Last Hollow's splinters" Scrapper says only adding to the relief I now feel.
"Lets go get the mares" X declares and we quickly fall in behind him before he pauses and slowly turns around, with a sheepish smile on his muzzle.
"They went this way" I state whilst stepping forward leading him through the now normal looking trees.
As we trot along the sound of laughter quickly fills our ears and we start following it. About 10 seconds later we find them all down on their backs, laughing up a storm. We share a look and let them calm down on their own. Which took a little too long for my liking, they spot us. X, now smiling, simply jerks his head in the direction we just came. Getting the idea they all get up and start trotting along, giggling occasionally, with the pink one taking the lead, us remnants bringing up the rear.
After a while and a lot of giggling later we come across a raging river, now as us remnants are transfixed on the sheer fact they're is ACTUAL NATURAL WATER here, the mares having found a grieving and sobbing serpent. Me having an irrational fear of anything snake-like quickly excuse myself under the guise of 'I think I heard something' flimsy? Yes. Overused? Probably. I just had to get away from that thing.
'I should probably go back' I think but the though of seeing that thing again makes me quickly drop the idea. 'They'll be fine' I assure myself yet I can't help but worry. A large amount of water movement catches my attention and chance a peek out of the bush. I see only my two partners by the now calm water so I approach.
"Uhh... What did I miss?" I ask almost hesitantly.
"The serpent swallowed them and swam away before we could do anything. I'm sorry" X explains, both him and Scrap wearing grim looks.
"WHAT?!?" I ask actually horrified that they-
"HAHAHAHA!!" They break out laughing loud enough to have me pin my ears. Sonsabitches.
"Na something happened to his mustache, Rarity fixed it, he helped them across, they went ahead and we called that we'd wait for you" X summarized for me still chuckling.
"Yeah right... You got me. Lets just get to those damn mares already" I state fed up at the fact that he actually got me that badly. I'm now extremely glad that the hood covers my eyes lest they see just how real my reaction was. They heard the relief and sadness in my voice though.
"You okay? You sounded genuinely upset they were apparently eaten..." X asks me. Looking slightly regretful that he upset one of his squad mates with what he thought would be a harmless joke.
"Well... I just feel strangely close to them even though we've only known them for so little" I explain. "I mean I like Rainbow quite a bit, we just click you know?"
"This isn't about the love eating is it, being a changeling and all?" He asks deadpanned. I can understand where he's coming from but love has many forms, I already get enough from both of them from our shared Brotherhood.
"No! A little hurt you'd think that but I just feel like we were kinda... meant to come here and meet them because if that World Stone show'd up. Where's the Remnant that activated it and why haven't our Dragon Hearts alerted us of more coming through?" A valid point I believe and by the looks they're giving me, something they're wondering themselves. Our Dragon Hearts would synchronize, with a soft hum, so we could heal each other but they've been completely silent. "You guys feel the same as I do about them huh?" Receiving confirmatory grunts I continued "We made quick friends eh? And we don't remember anything about ourselves too. Being Remnant is all we know now" I say solemnly with them agreeing.
Suddenly worried about my Dragon Heart I quickly reach over my wither, into my bag, and pull out my beloved glowing rock. Finding it to be glowing strongly with it's mysterious power. Good. A Dragon Heart with no more 'charges' has no glow, appearing as a dull red, and therefore useless until recharged at the next World Stone making any injuries, without the use of a bloodwart or healing mod, permanent because we'd definitely find a World Stone before they even start naturally healing.
Catching onto what I was checking they pull their own out finding very much the same thing. We'd have all died without our Dragon Hearts long ago, these things are priceless and entirely necessary in the world outside the Ward. Hell we have died a few times, but not all of us thankfully. The World Stones do many things but by far the most useful is bringing the dead back. As long as one of us lives and makes it to a Stone we'd all be brought back. Commander Ford experimented with the World Stones long before any of us found one and ended up in the Ward, but not in the traditional sense. She discovered that they can only support teams of three Remnant's at a time before they begin being inconsistent like not healing wounds or not refilling ammo but there was a couple times when a Remnant wasn't revived and was lost. The experiments stopped immediately after.
After a quick inventory check and being satisfied at what we had left we started galloping in the direction the mares went.
We found them waiting at a cut down rope bridge, or at least five of them. I was about to ask where Rainbow was but she came from the other side that was obscured with fog as soon as the bridge was fixed in position and stated 'she'd never leave her friends hanging.
We greeted them but after seeing the state of the bridge and knowing the sheer wait of our gear, we jokingly told them in ye olde speech that we will have to go around while subtly calling Scrapper fat, despite him being more muscular than everypony present, that surprisingly earned a disappointed look from all of them with the exception of Twilight, did they feel the same as us?
So we waved and went around, looking at the chasm it's long, like really long. With a mental sigh I begin forward, along the chasm being quickly followed by the other two. We came to an unspoken agreement long ago about who leads when. Me when we're navigating, Scrapper when we're in hostile areas and X for just about everything else. We've only broken a few times but they've only ended poorly, like when I first greeted the mares immediately after a fight. Not my smartest move.
So after a solid ten minute trot, which quickly turned into a canter, we arrived at our destination only roughly fifty metres from our original location.
Upon our arrival we're greeted with a hug by a hyper pink blur, she is also quite fast, quickly followed by the rest. Rainbow hugs me a bit tighter than the others and the same goes with Scrapper and AJ but I don't mind it, we talked about this.
Confused for a second I ask "Where's Twilight?" and am answered, very surprisingly, by Fluttershy. Having been told her name by X when I was bumbling in the bushes at the river, same as Rarity and Pinkie Pie. "She's in the castle doing a spell. Don't go in there and break her concentration. That is... if you don't mind..." She adds once again shy. 'cute' I think to myself.
We sit down on our haunches in the dirt and converse. This just feels nice and not the sheer amount of friendship love I'm absorbing but the ability to be treated normally, it's so alien.
"Yah know Ah've been meanin' ta ask but what are those thangs you colts're carrying around? Ah've seen you's use them when fightin' but just... What are they?" AJ asks in a thick country accent. They all look to me expectantly and Iook to X trying to mentally ask for an affirmative. He seems to understand and gives a quick nod. They see this and look confused for a second before seeing me take my typewriter off my backpack and repeating pistol off my right flank.
With a sigh I start "This is a gun. More specifically this is the Chicago Typewriter, the big one, and the repeater pistol, the little one, the small one is given to all Remnants as it is a solid weapon, if a bit weak" I try to continue but am interrupted by Rainbow who scooted a bit closer to me.
"What's a gun?" She asks, irritating me a bit. I like her but I don't like getting interrupted especially if I was asked a question.
"Please ask questions after but a gun is a weapon that can fire small pieces of metal at VERY high speeds. Designed to, as you saw, kill" That word rattles them a bit, Fluttershy squeaks, but they remain quiet and listen in again.
"You haven't seen the repeater pistol in action but it's actually our main weapon. Now we categorize weapons in three ways, Hoof gun: being small and easily stored on-pony, Long gun: Being larger and having, usually, a harder punch than Hoof guns and melee: Like swords and stuff. Hoof guns, like the repeating pistol are used when simply traveling or when there is no large threat. Long guns are used when they are needed due to not being able to carry much ammo for it, they're used when there is a large threat, multiple threats or when something needs to be protected, like you mares. Melee is used when ammo is low, there is only one threat, often small, or using ranged weapons isn't very effective" I explain in length. "Now I know I'm not smart but I know this off by heart because if you want to survive where we come from. This knowledge is a requirement" I add after a moment of thought.
"So wait when Scrapper said you have to kill dozens those 'Root' almost daily... Then.. How long have you been fighting them?" Rainbow asks me. I give her a grave look. Both of my partners share my look but are giving them all the 'thousand yard stare' so it's up to me.
"Three long hard years. Let me tell you, it hasn't been fun" I respond numbly. That gets a shocked look and gasp from all of them. Pinkie's mane even... deflates? "But we do it because we have to. If we don't... Then ponies will starve, ponies will die. We scavenge food from a ruined city almost every day. We get dirty water to purify from swamps" I decide not to mention that the swamp I'm talking about is actually on a different world. "We scour entire city blocks for medicine to heal the sick and we do it because we have to. Because very few ponies are willing to go into a city riddled with root" I also decide to mention what Remnants are and only those 'chosen' by the World Stone can even go outside because of the huge actual Roots that blocked the only door.
They quickly catch what I was saying and give all three of us a sympathetic look with a reassuring smile. It warms my heart to know they care about us even though we met a little under an hour ago.
"Well it's good to know that some fine young colts are stepping up for the unfortunate few that cannot" Rarity states giving Scrapper a pat on the back then giving a little grimace at the state of his armor but quickly hides it like before. I catch onto this yet again and decide to give voice to a nagging in the back of my head.
"What's wrong with his armor?" I ask her while raising a brow. My question surprises her a little but she corrects her self and responds.
"Well it doesn't do to have such heroes to be toting around in... ugh... whatever it is you're wearing" She says in disgust. I really didn't like that but due to the situation of our new found friendship I refrain from letting anger drive my response. But I do let spill on our real situation back home.
"Didn't you catch onto why I said 'scavenge'? Our wo- city as we knew it is gone. It has been for three and a half years now and it isn't coming back. It has to work not look pretty" I explain barely holding back a frown but then she tries to salvage the situation in the worst way possible. I admit she didn't know but... I couldn't hold it back any longer after her 'salvage attempt'.
"But darling home isn't a place, it's the ponies. Why I'd say you could be homeless and have a home as long as family is with you" She quickly responds. But as I said, she only made me angry.
"IT IS GONE!!! THE BUILDINGS ARE THERE BUT FAMILY? I DON'T KNOW A SINGLE PONY WHO HAS ANY FAMILY LEFT! There is maybe, MAYBE twenty ponies left in that entire place. but you know the worst part? Remnants don't remember. ANYTHING of who we used to be. A side effect of becoming what... WHO we are. That's where we get our name. We're a 'Remnant' of the pony that decided they could help. Home is gone..." I finished, sounding depressed. I sure as shit felt like it. Knowing my outburst was wrong I covered my face in my hooves, not wanting to see her reaction. I don't like her attitude but she's still a friend.
While I'm feeling sorry for myself I feel a hoof fall onto my wither. Looking up I see it's Rainbow, a bit teary eyed. She soon decides her reassuring hoof isn't enough and goes in for a 'healing hug' and that's what does it. I hug her back as those three years of grief, of not knowing who I was anymore made themselves known. I cried. For the first time in any memory I ever had. I look over Rainbow's wither and see X and Scrapper barely holding themselves back, having face the same dilemma as I, whilst also receiving hugs of their own. AJ to Scrapper and Pinkie to X. This lasts for a good five minutes before all the tears have dried up. I look to Rainbow and see her giving me a supportive smile so I give her a smile of my own before going in for one last hug before reluctantly separating.
I look over my new friends and notice all of them have tear stains of varying degrees. Us Remnants having surprisingly fared the best. The worst was Pinkie, that actually makes sense considering anytime she drove conversation she kept it active and energetic, but most importantly, Happy.
From the waterworks casual conversation picked up going from our 'welcome to Ponyville' party, 'Ponyville? ' I thought, to my crippling fear of snakes, which got a round of giggles. 'I hate you X' I thought bitterly.
It was going well, Pinkies mane reflated at some point, up until a scream of surprise and loud bang sounded from the ruins. Getting up we all galloped inside. We found nothing, this was a jarring situation until I spotted a flash at the top of a tower.
"There!" I called out to everypony.
We were all about to try to make our way there through a door at the end of the room until the sound of dirt being breached caught my sharp ears.
I look to my team and put my hoof on my pistol and they quickly get the silent message. 'Root'
"Go help her, we have company!" X calls to the mares, AJ and Rainbow say they're going to help but I quickly shoot them down.
"Sorry girls but you won't be able to handle them. I don't doubt your abilities in combat but let us do what we're meant to. Go help Twilight. She'll need you a lot more than we will" I say leaving no room for argument by shoving all of them, it was quite easy none of them were ready for it, shut the door to the room we're in and pull down a nearby barely standing statue of an alicorn to keep it shut and seal the deal. The banging on the door was expected but not how quickly it left, it didn't concern me what was now walking through the doors did though.
"The Hulk is mine, you guys get everything else" My personnel vendetta against them shining brightly through my harsh tone. I get grunts of acknowledgement and no protests. Good .
The Hulk decides it wants Scrapper though and begins toward him but turns it's attention to me after I address it by way of bullets. I only use a few knowing the Typewriter isn't that great at that range. I want to kill it not annoy it.
After it sees me as the one that shot it, it drags it's huge sharp piece of metal behind it as it sprints full tilt at me, nothing following it. Even better, it's all I wanted and now I can give it my full attention .
Knowing it can't understand me I don't waste breath with taunts I 'politely' wait for it to reach me and when it brings it's massive sword forward by way of uppercut quickly roll by it's right shoulder, narrowly missing the blade on it's path, and begin just unloading into it's back. Even when it turns around, lengthening it's left swordless arm while doing so, it swings it's left arm at me. I respond by ducking under it while backing up, it being so huge makes the feat near effortless. As I come back up i take aim once more and begin shooting into it's body and broad shoulders, avoiding the face due to the thick metal plate there. As it just recovers from it's massive swing my typewriter clicks empty, I reach back for another drum but don't find one. 'Damn it' I thought. Throwing it aside I rear up and pull out my sidearm and remain on my hind legs with the aid of my insectoid wings.
After pulling out my sidearm I notice the Hulk winding up a horizontal swing. Knowing that I don't have enough time to duck under it or roll ,aided by the buzzing of my wings, I jump over the swing which was quite impressive if I do say so myself. During this jump I hear a feint 'magic!' in the background but as my focus is elsewhere, it's largely ignored. After I land from the mighty leap I quickly fire all 15 rounds into the Hulk and it stumbles backwards. Not really wanting to reload, I pull my scrap sword off my bag and charge the Hulk. In a last ditch effort to end me it bring it's sword up and brings it down. Thankfully I see this through my bloodlust and dodge at the last second, while I did dodge, not all of me made it through. The white hot pain going through my left hindleg is almost unbearable. While in this pain I still manage to focus enough and wind up a swing of my own, using the rage I feel towards Hulks and using the pain to make the fire of hatred burn hotter I swing with all my might and catch it in the middle of the chest. Due to the damage it sustained already this swing ends the Hulk but due to it being made out of wood it brings my sword with it as it falls backwards. Leaving me defenseless.
It doesn't matter though, everything else is being put down by X and Scrapper. A flood of pain brings my attention to what remains of my hoof. As I stare at my now lack of hoof I assess how much of it I have left. Straight through the cannon-bone. Ye-ouch. I crawl around the ground, not wanting to test my three hooved balance just yet, as I collect what I threw aside.
As my luck would have it though X sees this and pokes fun.
"*Gasp* Honey look! Baby's crawling around now!" He exclaims with a look of pure joy on his face. Scrapper looks confused for a second before seeing what he was talking about. I hoped his level-headed attitude would help me here. I was wrong.
"Atta' boy!" He exclaims with just as much joy but his face is obscured by his helmet but I'd bet he's sharing X's shit eating grin.
"Goo goo ga ga motherfuckers" I declare in a baby voice. While picking up my severed hoof.
We share a chuckle at this but it ends abruptly as the door moves once again but doesn't budge, we look at it but don't concern ourselves with it. That is until the rubble is enveloped in a yellow almost golden aura. I would've panic'd but I already pulled up and re-affixed my hood and thought it could be was twilight or Rarity since I don't know the color of either of their aura's.
I certainly didn't expect a huge pure white mare with a flowing rainbow mane with a smaller dark blue mare with a stark blue mane open the door with the mares from before with them.
We stare at each other for a while, the girls behind them noticing us and starting towards us but is stopped but the tall white one as she surveys the damage and death we've caused.
She look kinda angry when she talks "What have you done?" she spat at us. A degree of venom in her voice. This is new.
Not knowing how to respond for once X just gives her an "Uhhhh..."
She obviously didn't like that answer as she immediately covers us in her magic and yanks us forward with yelps of surprise from each of us.
"I should have you thrown in the dungeons for ending all these lives you murderers !" She spat at us. Clearly angry and the other new mare looks almost as angry. Until she a look of recognition goes across her features. 'Wait Have us thrown in the dungeons? So she must hold some power in this world, how much is the new question.
"WAIT SISTER! Those things are evil!" She tries to tell her apparent sister. She took it the wrong way though.
"Yes I know Lulu these... things ... are evil indeed. Tartarus is far more fitting..." She responds with glee. The mares we know all gasp at this with barely suppressed tears. She was about to send us to this 'Tartarus' but was interrupted by her sister. Rather Physically too.
"No sister! Not them the things they... Ugh... Killed" She chokes up on the last word. Yeah evidently this place isn't used to this level of death, let alone the scale of what they see before them. Well hey at least the full body crash from her sister broke her concentration and we drop from her telekinesis.
"What do you mean sister?" She asks. Still eyeing us but not bothering to restrain us again.
"Whilst we were Nightmare Moon we have witnessed them protecting the Element Bearers from those creature that appeared to be trying to kill them and the Bearers" She explains and I go bug-eyed or rather even more bug-eyed than I already am at her explanation. 'She could see us?' I thought to myself, Ignoring her 'we'.
"Can you confirm this my pupil?" She asks while looking at Twilight but she had to ask again in length due to her, and the other now 'Bearers', due to them seeing my now lack of hindleg.
"Yes Princess. They did" She confirms. She then turns and gallops towards me with no small amount of worry in her eyes, the one now known as the 'Princess' lets her this time.
"We need to get you to a hospital! You're bleeding everywhere!" She exclaims while looking at hat remains of my leg.
"It's cool I've lost legs before" I say dumbly before realizing what I just let slip.
She furrows her brow while giving me a look that screams 'Explain. Now.'.
I look to my comrades who are both looking at me with great disappointment and whisper "whoops" to them. They just shake their heads, synchronized too.
"Alright I'll tell you how we fix this" I open my mouth to tell them of the World Stone but quickly figure they won't believe me. So I go with the better alternative. "Actually I could just show you" I offer.
Twilight gasps at this. "You'll show us how to save other ponies' limbs?!? This could be a huge step for medicinal science" She squeals in excitement. Yeah I thought she was knowledge hungry. X is too, explains why they got along so well. So I hate to break her hopes like this.
"Sorry Twilight. It only works on VERY very few. I'll still show you though" Getting nods of agreement from the other two.
She deflates a bit but the excitement is still there. I look over to the other and find similar interest in them too, even the Princess, along with a bit less hostility from her.
I go to turn but trip, unused to having only three legs to work with. I look up with a sheepish smile as the Princess looks down upon me with a raised brow and smirk.
"It appears I cannot trot. Help a crippled colt would you?" I ask. Not attempting pleading eyes or a little smile as they can't see it, still covered.
"Of course my subject" She replies in a gentle and calm motherly voice. Wow. And this is the same mare who threatened to send to to Tartarus? I have zero clue what that is but due to the reactions of our friends, it can't be good.
I am yet again enveloped in her magic but am gently raised this time around. Keeping my still bleeding leg away from her pure white coat out of respect. "Onward my comrades! You know the way" I start with vigor and a pointed hoof but finish with monotone and a dismissive wave.
Giving a chuckle to my antics they do a 180 and continue the way they came but not before asking the Princess to reinforce the bridge with her magic. She asks why but they simply stare at her. "Right" She says in realization to how much Scrapper would way.
We expected her to help us get across yes. But none us, not even her sister, expected the huge, pure magic bridge that she constructs for us.
"You know why don't we just teleport?" Asks Twilight. The Princess looks to me about to ask herself but I cut her off.
"Because I doubt YOU even remember just where we met Twilight. Don't you have to know where you're going to teleport there?" I ask in response to her question.
"*Sigh* yes you do" She says dejected at more walking. For once I'm actually glad to be crippled.
Twenty minutes. TWENTY minutes we were walking for, going the way we came. Almost everypony but the Princesses, having learnt that the other was a Princess too, was asking 'Are you sure we can't teleport?' and I too wish we could but we can't so tough.
But we finally came upon the clearing of where our impromptu quest began. Motioning with my hoof to X he nods and takes a hard left. Through a bush that looks cleanly cut. My scrap sword may be rusty, but it's certainly sharp. The Princesses look a bit concerned about heading off the path but follow with the also nervous Bearers tailing.
A little while into the not-so-beaten path, everypony sees the three sets of hooves in the somewhat muddy ground. The familiar orange glow of the World Stone, the promise of it's safety. The ponies notice this too and get a little excited.
Eventually Scrapper clears a large bush that we pushed aside on our way through and the World Stone is bear for all to see.
The Princesses jaws drop, so do I, at the sight of the magnificent World Stone floating off the ground, a similar reaction is expressed by the others. Twilight though. She zips up to it and tries to touch it, but something unusual happens... She can't reach it. It looks like the Crystal is keeping her at bay by at least a metre by some unseen force. Frustrated she tries her magic but the World Stone actually fights back. This unseen force targets her horn a appears to cause her some pain. Unwisely she continues, to which she falls unconscious.
The bigger Princess turns to us for an explanation but doesn't even ask at our, rather X's, dropped jaw and all of us staring dumbly at where Twilight now lays.
"I'm guessing that isn't meant to happen?" She asks us, we shake our heads, yet again synchronized.
I try to make sense of it. "Well when other Unicorns tried anything magical near the World Stone, it usually doesn't end well but this is the worst I've ever seen" I say more to myself than anything.
Scrapper walks over to her and throws some water on her face from a bottle he retrieved beforehand, but not before pulling her a bit away from the World Stone.
She wakes up with a yelp and asks "What happened?" Still a bit groggy.
"You just did something I was about to warn you about but I was a bit too busy wondering how it kept you away. I've never seen that before" X explains.
"Ugh I'd like to see you do better" She sneers, not a morning pony eh? I'll keep that in mind.
Adopting a smug look, X simply trots over, quickly passing the barrier Twilight encountered and put his foreleg on the World Stone. Amusingly her jaw drops, chuckles ran through-out the area shortly afterwards.
Following through with the demonstration X places his other hoof upon the Stone. Scrapper quickly follows, doing the same. I hobble over and also place my hooves on the World Stone, ignoring Twilight's groan. What happened next was procedure for us but very surprising for everypony else though.
A flash of light erupts from the Stone. Earning a gasp of surprise from the non-Remnants. The light persists for a second or two maybe five, I was too busy basking in the feeling of my body being reinvigorated by the World Stone and my hindleg being reconstructed. After a it's all said and done the light fades almost as quickly as it appeared. Feeling much better I stretch out my newly reattached hindleg with a pop, unknowingly displaying it for all, this got another gasp of surprise from all non-Remnants at the sight of my hoof.
I turn and pose, I'm not even sure if I did a strong looking pose well but I did it. I then address them. "That my fine mares. Is how you fix a hoof" I even do an over-exaggerated bow to spice it up. They were too shocked to react though.
"A fine trick you have, I think we'll take this 'World Stone' in for study" The tall Princess states. But the moment she finishes the World Stone does something that is, yet again, unusual for it. It's soft glow intensifies tenfold, blinding her. After a few seconds it resides but still remains stronger than before.
"I don't think it wants to love" Scrapper observes. His way of addressing her gets a shocked look from the Bearers but a chuckle from her.
"Do you not know who I am, my subject?" She asks jokingly, the shocked Bearers turning to her now. I don't blame her we never told her we aren't from here. I think we shouldn't mention this may in fact be a different world.
"No. Not a clue. We come from very far, which makes me question what the Root are doing here" He supplies.
"I'm assuming those wooden creatures are these 'Root' you speak of?" She receives a nod. "And you know of them well?" To which she receives another nod, a bit slower this time though. "Then I will ask what we are facing, if they are not from here the Royal Guards may have trouble dealing with them..." She starts rubbing her chin in thought.
"The Root are evil. That much is clear. But they are endless and they are ruthless. They do not hesitate to kill and it is all they seem to know. There are many different types of Root and much be dealt with differently. None of them are ever alone, where there is one there may be hundreds" He gives them a brief run down on the Root, while we know a lot more he just summarized it.
"Do you think our Guard can handle it?" She looks a bit worried now.
"We'd have to see a regiment of your Guard to tell you that, no military is the same. While my team and I may not remember anything in terms of military, we can see combat capabilities, prowess and quality of equipment" He answers. Making her deflate a bit.
"We shall have a regiment sent here under the guise of a security risk, maybe something else that doesn't make them think it's an inspection. But since you three are the experts on the Root we shall let you judge them" She declares she was about to turn to her sister, I think, but realization quickly strikes her.
"You said you don't know who I am?" She receives a head shake this time. "Well introductions are in order then. I am Princess Celestia, once ruler of Equestria, but now co-ruler" She says that last part while looking at her sister.
"And I am Princess Luna, Co-ruler of Equestria, may we have your names?" She asks politely.
X trots from the World Stone to in front of her, followed by me trotting to his left side, and introduces us. "I am X, impromptu leader of our team, to my left is Hunter he's our navigator and tracker and to my right is Scrapper he's our Muscle. It is a pleasure to meet you Princess Celestia and Princess Luna" As he finishes we bow in sync. 'smooth ' I think with satisfaction.
Surprisingly they're taken back a little at X's formal introduction, understandable at how we look like we live in the wastes.
"It is a pleasure to meet you X, Scrapper and Hunter. I will see to it that some living arrangements are made in Ponyville" She says to us, pleased by our manners.
"Now that introductions are done we shall head to Ponyville to celebrate the Summer Sun Celebration and the return of Princess Luna!" She declares with joy.
We had no idea just how much the next few days had in store or us.
Instead of making our way over the kind Princess Celestia teleported us in front of a large, circular building. Kinda looks important.
The Princess's arrival immediately caught everyponies attention. Citizens bowing and the hoofful of Guards saluting with... *sigh* gold armor. My hoof meets my face, it's already looking terrible for them. I'll enjoy watching their reactions to our inspection so I refrain from saying anything. My team doing the same, I already see the humor in X's eyes.
Many ponies go to greet her, kiss her flank or whatever but I'll never know since they froze at the sight of us. Thankfully Celestia sees this and speaks up before and hasty accusations could be made, just in time too I saw the Guards readying their... hehehe gold spears.
"Do not fear my subjects!" She exclaims while flaring her wings, looking very regal. "They are my guests and are here on my behest! Please come meet them!" She tells them, the Guards never even fully readied their spears 'Too slow too ' I think.
At the reassurance of their Princess any fear radiating from the crowd immediately disappears, so quickly I have to actually search for it. Changelings sensing emotions is very advantageous but sometimes it backfires. Like how my quick head turns makes many ponies look at me strangely. Damn it .
After a few seconds of hesitance, ponies suddenly flooded us, asking many questions. 'What's your name?' 'What are you wearing?' 'What are those things on your back?' Only being few of the many questions that I DID understand. Looking for the only Equestrians I did know, I turned multiple times and had even jumped twice. I saw that X and Scrapper were in similar positions, swarmed by many ponies. But despite my attempts to find them, I couldn't so I gave up. 'They threw us to the mob! ' I thought with a mental laugh.
After escaping the mob of curious ponies we decided to go to the important looking building. Upon entering we found nopony, so we decided to at least try to find out what purpose this building served. There was a desk at the left, end side of the hall. A little name stand was upon the otherwise clean dark wooden desk. 'Secretary Paper Weight' was etched upon it. 'Secretary? ' I thought. Looking to a pair of double-doors behind and a bit to the side of the desk, I see a little long piece of metal. It reads 'Mayor Mayor Mares Office' this stumped me a bit. 'Is her name Mayor Mare or was it a mistake? " I think on this for a second before just shrugging and turning away from the doors.
Regrouping in the center on the building we report what we've found. X found a meeting room with 'budget' written on a black board and Scrapper found an 'available jobs' board, He told us they seemed all local and had something to do with farming. I tell them of the secretary desk and the 'Mayor Mayor' office. I am proud to say that I got two head tilts.
"Town hall?" X asks.
"Town hall" Scrapper and I confirm at the same time.
Making our way out we look for something out of the ordinary among the near identical wood-and-starch houses.
"Hey uh... am I on something or is that a gingerbread house?" I ask whilst pointing towards a candied building.
They turn and see it immediately. "Nope. I see it too" X confirms for me. Scrapper just nods.
"So we going there?" I ask straight after. They both gave nods this time still eyeing it.
The trip there was quick. It was definitely a building. The sign that hung it read 'Sugar cube Corner'. 'Nice name ' I thought to myself.
Before entering a wave of emotions hits me. There's ponies in there and the lights are off. 'Idea '
"Hey X you wanna be first? I was first last time" I offer him, he gives me a strange look but nods. Opening the door, the exact thing I expected happened when the lights flicked on.
"SURPRISE!!!" The party goers yell out.
I heard a table get kicked over, a bunch of glass break and a chorus of gasps sound out. 'On second thought letting a battle-hardened survivor unknowingly trot into a surprise party was a bad idea ' The head turn I received from Scrapper only confirmed my thought.
Wither-charging the door to hopefully disarm this potentially dangerous situation as quickly as possible. I assess the situation I willingly placed myself into. Many ponies, adult and foal, are cramped into the lobby and are all looking towards the knocked over table with broken glass, spilled punch and spoiled treats of many different varieties with many different emotions swirling in the crowd. Surprise , Fear and a touch of Anger . Behind said table is X with his head in his hooves, he's shameful and embarrassed it's so thick I can taste it. Because I can. Before I apologize for him and explain one thought crosses my mind. 'This is my fault ' I think angrily, upset at myself for putting my brother into such a state.
"Everypony! The surprise party is greatly appreciated but uh... Surprises don't normally go down well with battle-hardened ponies such as myself and my brother! He just reacted the way we normally would when surprised because if you are surprised where we come from it is usually done with the intent of causing you great pain!" I explain to them. The fear thankfully resides and is replaced by curiosity but that small amount of anger remains.
I turn and see a helmet-less Scrapper talking to X, he sees me and nods, telling me he'll handle him. I nod back and trot into the group of ponies. Feeling much better but still upset with myself.
I find a snack table and quickly dismiss it. Changelings don't need food but I start looking for some kind of fluid as I still need water of some form.
Finding a table with a punch bowl I grab an empty glass with hoof and struggle a bit with filling it, not daring move my wings as they're on display but blend in with my brown coat.
"Hey Hunter!" A scratchy voice calls to me. Turning towards it I see Rainbow Dash, the other Bearers and my Brothers all sitting in a cubical. Upon seeing my friends I make my way over.
"Nice speech" She compliments. I look to her and thank her "It wasn't planned but I had to do something" I respond to her.
"Yeah I would've done something if you didn't say anything. Hey you didn't make it worse for a change!" She points out with a laugh that was followed by others.
This time Twilight speaks up. "Talking about what happened. Why in the hay would you kick over a table?!?" She turns and asks- no she turns and interrogates him, the whole table turns to him. I think even a few bystanders listened in.
"Well when Root are trying to kill you. You take what you can get when it comes to putting a barrier between them and you" He explains, the bystanders get both confused and concerned at the words 'root' and 'kill' but everypony at the table nods along, already knowing why.
It's at this point where conversation picks up, things like 'Why is there a party?' and 'What things are there to do in town?' but as the conversation goes along everypony in the room suddenly turns to the door, gasps and then promptly fills their mouths full of floor boards.
Princess Celestia waves them off, spots our little group and trots over. Everypony at the table, except the Remnants, bow in their seats.
This gets confused looks from everypony present with the exception of Celestia herself who looks even more happily at us than usual. It's also radiating from her and it quickly spiked at our inaction.
"Girls, Remnants" She greets casually us. This actually shocks everypony, yet again except us, they mustn't see their ruler act casual.
"I'd like you all to come to view the Royal Guard inspection the Remnants are going to conduct" She states, inviting everypony to said inspection, putting pressure on us. 'If she's as clever as I think she is, then this is a test for us as well. Put pressure on us and see if we do well ' I think. I don't know her at all but if she's a ruler of a nation this bright and colorful then she either just inherited the throne or is more wise than I take her for.
Making our way back to the Town Hall as Celestia tells us of tell uniform obligations of the Royal Guard. Polished armor, sharpened and polished weapon, physically fit and well groomed manes and coats. We see Princess Luna, this time in regalia, standing in front of a 6-by-6 formation with two... Officers? On both front sides of guards. Two for each flavor of Guard. One covered in clear, shiny gold and the other a deep purple, just as shiny metal. Just as shiny as gold? Either highly polished steel/iron or just recolored gold. I sure as shit hope it's steel.
The crowd filters out around us, joining the crowd already present as the Bearers, Remnants and other Princess march to the front.
"This is the group of our finest Guards. They are all highly decorated but didn't bring them as they weren't aware this was an inspection" Princess Luna states looking proud before quickly adding "The left is the Solar Guard and right is the Lunar Guard"
A Solar Guard officer steps forward and addresses them. "Princess Celestia, we were not informed this was an inspection. What is the meaning of this?" He demands in a high society tone. Self-importance. I don't like it one bit.
X doesn't either, he's the most knowledgeable about this stuff having read the book about military that collects dust in the Ward. "You were not spoken to officer return to your position and do not, I repeat DO NOT. Address your superiors like that!" He sneers at him but this only gets the officer angry.
"Who are you to speak to me like that civilian? And what are you doing in the presence of a Princess and the best detachment or Royal Guard looking like that? You are a disgrace!" He retorts but unfortunately for him he ignored Luna and upset Celestia. Princesses. Big ouch.
"Corporal Rising Star!" Celestia roared. "You are in the presence of BOTH Princesses of Equestria, the Bearers of the Element of Harmony and three of your new advisors and you DARE speak out of turn? Return to your position!"
The officer is startled at her yelling at HIM and tries to push his point I assume, be he never got to. "But Princess-"
"Return. To. Your. Position." She reaffirms.
He whimpers and does so taking his position in the formation, front right on the outside of the formation. Standing alongside his fellow Guard officer? Corporal? Whatever. Both white unicorns. Why's it always white unicorns that think highly of themselves?
My brothers and I turn our heads to Celestia as she shake her head.
"Let the inspection begin" He calls out and the Guards go rigid.
Our heads snap to them as we give them our full attention as start we slowly trotting over. They don't even breathe as we approach. Without speaking X takes the Solar Guard side as Scrapper takes the Lunar. Me? I go straight to the middle. This silent action causes surprise and wonder to fill my senses.
The front pair of Guards look impressive, knowing the gold is worthless for protection and damage they already fail for me, so I simply look at how they present themselves at what would be usual Guard duty. I didn't like what I saw, at all.
The front pair are impressive looking yes. Well polished armor and slightly muscular but as we Remnants all pass the first pairs worry enters my senses, a lot of it, guess they don't get thoroughly inspected, and we all do this, yet again, in sync.
The next pair are less impressive. Armor looking less polished, weapon too, less fit and their coats and manes look less cared for.
We all simultaneously pass them again, moving to the third row. Half way though.
The third row are just disappointing. Armor barely polished but still reflecting light, hell a chip here and there as well. Weapon is a sad story, doesn't look physically able and Manes are a mess but still neat enough to pass off as normal if you aren't looking for it, unfortunately for them, we are.
The fourth row is quite a sorry sight. Equipment as a whole is barely taken care of and little effort is put into mane and coat care. I spot a bit of unfinished bread in the coat of the Lunar Guard. White on Grey is easy to see if you're looking for faults.
Another synchronized pass and... this is disgusting. I don't even hold back my grimace and pause in place. This, I think is the first of the two reserve Guard rows. I don't even want to look at the sixth row if they've just gotten worse as I've gone deeper. The very brief pause causes nervousness to wreck havoc on my senses. I don't even have to look hard to find all the faults. Armor is being pushed out by fat, armor has probably never been polished, weapon never sharpened or polished and coats and manes are just filthy.
Funnily enough my Brothers break off almost as fast as I do.
We regroup in front of them and quietly share our findings, just to build up their nerves. X and Scrapper found nearly the exact same thing I did. Impressive at first, gets worse the further you go in and the reserves are absolutely disgusting. We about what we should say and who should as we all immediately failed them the moment we walked past the front anyway.
We break off from each other wearing neutral looks but I can tell how they really feel. They're giddily laughing on the inside. The Bearers and Princesses see this and anticipation bleeds off their forms.
"So? Are they up to your standards?" Luna asks X, excitement laced heavily in her voice.
"Our standards?" X parrots. Getting a nod from both Princesses He continues. "The higher ranking Guards and front ones do with uniform, I can't say anything when it comes to combat prowess when they're pretending to be statues" He informs them, I feel relief wash through the Guards and pride take over the Princesses. 'This'll hurt ' I think giddily.
"Every Guard behind them though" The nervousness returns full force. "Are disgusting" We all declare. At the same time. I really like doing this synchronized stuff. Really gets reactions, like this outrage.
The Guards all begin to argue, destroying the discipline I thought they at least possessed. They are all silenced as Celestia holds up one hoof. "Explain" She demands. Guess she thought they were up to par.
X speaks up, more versed in this stuff than Scrap and I. "The front Guards and higher ranks are up to your standards yes. But we don't have uniform requirements, if you saw where we came from you'd understand why. As I said the Guards behind the front are disgusting. The second row you can overlook. But beyond them? Pitiful. Hell we come from a shit hole and we're often better maintained even when we've been on duty for a solid week, than the fifth and sixth! If that's the uniform state of your best detachment, don't even ask us to look at the others" He explains firmly. Ohhh his business face, don't see that often outside of scavenging.
The other Solar Guard speaks up this time. "You dare insult my stallions?" He challenges while trotting forward. Why are they so temperamental? They don't keep up with standards they cop the consequences. I'm a slob and even I KNOW THAT!
"Yes I do, you weren't spoken too either, back to position" X commands without even looking away from Celestia. At least this guy catches on and does as told without backtalk. Doesn't keep the anger off his face though.
Celestia scans X's face for any doubt or humor or anything to show he isn't serious.
"Guards into the Town Hall" She commands, no emotion in her voice.
They look like they want to argue or make an excuse but remain silent and fall into formation, marching into the Town Hall as instructed. Shame and anger fills my mouth, bitter it tastes.
The Princesses request that we enter the Town Hall when we're ready to test combat performance. Leaving us with six stunned Element Bearers.
"That. Was. AWESOME!" Rainbow cheers a little scratchier than usual. "They way you went onto the next pair AT THE SAME TIME and how you told off those officers and how you basically insulted them IN FRONT OF THE PRINCESSES!" She goes on. Getting similar responses from the others, Twilight remains silent and in place however, expression hardening, and quickly.
"Why did you disgrace my brother?!?" She demands, but we just look at her. 'Is she serious? I understand protecting those close to you but he asked for that ' I think to myself.
"And who is your brother?" Scrapper asks her.
"His name is Shining Armor" She supplies unhelpfully.
"*Sigh* Where was he and what rank is he Twilight?" Scrapper asks instead.
"He's the Guard Captain and he was at the front left" She lost all weight the argument could have held as soon as the words 'Guard Captain' passed her lips.
"Twilight a Captain in charge of the troops he commands right?" X asks her, receiving a nod, he continues. "The state of his troops are the Captains concern right?" This time getting a slower nod. "The armor of the reserve Guards was a disgrace, never polished, bordering on disrepair and the way the armor was actually PUSHED AWAY from their bodies shows they put on a lot of weight from when they first donned the armor. I don't want to even start with the spears" X droned out. Twilight didn't catch a certain memo though.
"What does that have anything to do with my brother??" Silly Twilight. You may be smart but sometimes I question your apparent genius.
"I'd say a unit is only as strong as it's weakest link but seeing how you didn't get my point I'll just tell you. I asked if the Captain is in charge of the state of his troops, you confirmed me, and the state of his Guards reflects his quality of command and even authority. Which is dog shit" This shocks Twilight because *Gasp* it makes sense! Big shocker there.
"B-but he sends me letters that he's doing well" Yet she still attempt to argue.
"Twilight don't be so naive. What he says is true and what is fact can be two VERY different things. If I told you I was secretly a mare what would you say?" Silence. "I thought so, I'm sorry for arguing with you but you need to see this. The Princess asked us to inspect them, so we did. Part of inspecting is looking for what is wrong and reprimanding the troops for what you find. He is your brother and these are his troops, I know this now Twilight. But if I go in there and the Princess tells me to beat the shit out of them. I'll make them eat through a tube" He finishes coldly and trots away from her. 'They were getting along so well too ' I thought. But friend or not, she needs to see that not everything is happy-go-lucky. I don't even look at them as I turn to follow X, Scrapper doing the same, But I don't need to see their faces to know how they feel. Another reason this emotion sensor is a curse disguised as a blessing. All I taste from them while trotting away, is sadness, Not even an ounce of the friendship I once felt.
Author's Note
Wasn't expecting to churn this out so quickly. Also wasn't expecting to write an inspection section, especially when it's conducted by these little remnants of mine. But that's the way I felt so that's the way the cookie crumbles. I'll put their loadouts in the authors notes in a future chapter for those that know the game. Plus knowing what they have, I've written the loadouts down before I even started this fic, but seeing no way to fully present them is driving me crazy!!
Fighting the Guards: The Fallout
We left the Town Hall shortly after that display. Shining Armor and most of the Guards, especially the terrible ones, wanted to maul us. We're fine, they aren't. End of story. Princesses' were distraught about the Guards though. Tough.
Celestia gave us a bag of golden coins with a print of the sun on one side a crescent moon on the other. Said something about 'bits' I wouldn't know though I was too busy of being proud of the fact that I was better than Royal Guards in a hoof-to-hoof fight.
We went to find the girls and ask them about these shinnies we were given but they, of course, are no where in sight. Fuck.
"We'll have to be the adults in this situation won't we?" I asked, already knowing the answer and already not liking it. Against my hopes, I was given confirmation via 'Damn it' from X.
"I'll start asking around for where they could be, don't fancy my chances though" X mutters to us.
That was half hour ago.
So here be Scrapper and I, moseying around town asking questions that made us look like stalkers. 'Do you know where these mares live?' Didn't turn out well. I did see Twilight leaving what I think is a hospital. She teleported away before I could speak to her though.
Anything Scrapper asked usually ended with them running away, screaming. Not that hard to see actually. Scrapper is one large specimen. So he went off to do his own thing. I dunno.
I'm normally fairly hard to tick off. But I reckon if somepony looked at me funny I'd get set off with how this day has gone on so far. I was not a happy camper.
So when I stomped past a large tree near the middle of town, that went dead silent upon my appearance, I was more than suspicious. All the looks and negative emotions, mostly, stopped after I left Town Hall. All except one group.
I trotted up to the door of the tree, completely ignoring my thoughts of the impossibility of this being an ACTUAL house, and gave three heavy knocks. It was surprisingly answered by purple and green lizard thing.
"Who are you?" He asks me with squinted eyes. Yeah they're definitely in here, the sign says it's a public library and it's opening hours. Time to have a little fun. Sorry little buddy.
"This is the PUBLIC library right? No pony inside?" I ask, already preparing a retort.
"Yeah it is and it's just me, what of it?" He says in a condescending tone while crossing his little arms. I no longer feel sorry, I understand defending those you know but there's no excuse for being a cuck about it.
"It's a public library, which is open. I want to read books" Really not wanting to do that but more wanting to stumble into this little meeting of theirs.
"Sorry but I can't let you in" He tries to shut the door. Bingo.
"You're not letting me into a public building not under use? So you're restricting public access because you feel like it? Or is it because you just don't like me? An honorary citizen of Equestria. Given this by the Princesses themselves?" I accuse in a self-righteous tone. I'm lying through my teeth, it's a gamble but here's hoping he's as ill-informed as I think he is.
His eyes widen and I give myself a myself a mental hoof pump, he quickly stands aside with an apology as I come muzzle-to-muzzle with just the ponies I was looking for, all sitting at a round table in the middle of the room with a wooden sculpture of a horse head stood proudly atop it. The Bearers, all of them.
"SPIKE I said to let nopony in!" She says enraged at me but disappointed at her lizard.
"Oi he isn't at fault here. He was just following orders from a dumb superior" Defend him with a straight face. Everyponies eyes widen at my insult. Time to let spill some info. Scrap isn't here and X is fuck-knows where.
"I'm not dumb! I'm well-read!" She retorts angrily. They're so easy, I'm supposed to be the angry idiot here.
"Being well-read and being smart are two VERY different things. If you were smart you'd know that there's different kinds. You're smart with your facts but that's it!" I shoot back, she flinches. Good she's still listening but I don't get to continue as all our 'friends' erupt into their own insults, trying to defend Twilight.
Thinking quickly I pull out my Repeater Pistol and do something I didn't I'd ever do when I bonded to these girls. I take aim at them.
They all are completely silenced by my sudden unspoken threat. Eyes going wide and pupils turning to pin-pricks. I let the silence drag on, never let my aim waiver and force my body to go rigid.
The silence is deafening and I become something that genuinely shocked me. Fear permeates from them like water from an ocean. They actually think I'm serious? Good, I'm better at this than I thought.
I say nothing as I slowly make my way over to them, aim still not wavering. They don't move a muscle.
I sit down in what would normally be a considered casual way but the Pistol, still aimed at them, suggests this is a hostage situation. I'm not inclined to correct them in my current state of simmering anger.
"Now that all friends are present I'm going to ask you all a question" I declare in a sweet, gentle voice. "What is this all about?" Any sweetness in my tone and face vanishes as I ask this.
"You seriously hurt my brother!" She accuses after gathering her confidence. They must've explained what my Pistol is and what it does, she wouldn't be so nervous otherwise.
"Twilight what did he tell you when you visited the hospital?" I know this because... well he's family. It only makes sense.
"He said you attacked him! Hurt all his Guard and threatened the Princesses!" Wow. She IS that stupid.
"..." I can't even manage to come up with a response. That utterly floored me. I'll have to talk to Celestia about her Guard situation.
"SEE! You can't even deny it! To think I thought of you as my friend!" She spat at me. If my face wasn't covered they would have seen my mouth curling.
"I should have NEVER let you follow-" She stops upon hearing my chuckling which turns into full blown laughter in the silence. I let my aim fall and the moment it does I'm tackled by Rainbow.
She's taken it out of my hoof and aims it at me while sitting on my chest. I don't care though, I'm currently wheezing.
She wants to pull the trigger and end me, but she can't. I can feel her inner struggle. Her anger, her loyalty to Twilight, her loyalty to... me. 'She still likes me' I think through my laughter which is in the process of winding down, then tatters off.
But she's known Twilight longer so she does something I honestly didn't expect. She pulls the trigger.
*CLICK *
She immediately drops it and hugs me, sobbing uncontrollably while I hug her back. She keeps quietly apologizing while her friendship love starts flowing to- no. It starts attacking me. It's followed by a small amount of genuine love, much to my surprise.
I manage to pry her off and get up. I see their shocked expressions. If I wasn't focused on Twilight I'd be wearing one too.
"I'm going to guess you didn't ask the Princesses and took your brothers word?" They like not talking don't they? "Go ask her" My tone leaves no room for argument and she trots out the door. I feel a strong hold on my right side and look to see Rainbow hugging me again, no longer sobbing. I fully embrace her and can't help but feel at peace. It just feels so right.
Author's Note
As much as I wanted to make the Guards look pathetic in combat, I couldn't do it. I tried once, then did three whole rewrites but was still left unsatisfied with my work. The Remnants will not be using charms or rings due to that being a biiiiit too much to keep track of at once with all the effects and specifics with them, especially in a fight. I want to entertain you for a while, not overwhelm you.
I might have to add a romance tag. I just like Dashie too much. Haha this is gonna end up being a Rainbow Dash fan work I just know it.
So. As it turns out these ponies will go to lengths I didn't think they were capable of. X wasn't missing. He was taken, by the girls, and was tied up in Twilight's basement. He also had a bunch of science equipment strapped to him. Twilight was trying to figure out our connection to the World Stone's through science if she couldn't use magic. 'Why didn't she just magically scan us?' I ponder.
X was freed, apologies were made and the fire of friendship was reignited. That went smoothly, I'm proud of the fact that I'm the one that fixed things for a change.
We were debating about going after Twilight or not until a series of panicked knocks sounded from the door. It was hastily opened, courtesy of Rarity's magic, to reveal a disheveled Twilight.
"Root are attacking Ponyville!" She screeched. Most of the girls looked ready to fight but were shot down by both X and I.
"You aren't fighters. You aren't trained or experienced. I admire your will to protect your fellow ponies but I'd rather you stay behind. It's better our friends are safe than added as casualties" X's voice was firm and I quickly followed by voicing my agreement. I turn to the door to follow X out but look back to them and say to them. "As bad as this sounds, I'd rather strangers die than those close to me. But hopefully it won't come to that." I left shortly after.
Galloping down the streets, following X's trail because I couldn't see him through all the screaming ponies. After a bit of running I started to see very tiny plumes of pink dust above a couple homes, my sharp eyes just barely seeing it.
Digging my hooves in the dirt and pivoting on my heel I manage to turn a sharp corner and not lose much speed. Nice.
The first thing I see as I round the corner is the detachment of 36, 18 of each flavor, Guards preparing to face down a mass of Root devils spewing out from the forest, roughly 30 from what I can count, maybe a spec less. What greatly confuses me is the sudden absence of Luna, and Celestia holding back Scrapper and X from joining the fight.
Running up to her I shout "Celestia! What are you doing?!" I am immediately torn from my gallop and placed next to my Brothers by her magic.
"I must prove to my little ponies that the Royal Guard can protect them. Please let them show this to them." She states more than asks. At their Princess's words all the ponies calm and watch the tight formation of Guards match forward, spears at the ready, eager to prove their worth.
But little do they know. The eyes of us Remnants spy the bane of small areas and tight formations.
The sound of their continuous squealing heralding their charge, promising the Guards demise. The Guards unknowingly still marching forward into their early retirement from this mortal coil. I had to at least let Celestia know.
"Uh... Your Highness? They don't want to march into those! Like break formation now or die don't want to march into those!" I yelled out to her making everypony present, including the Guards, know of my given advice. I was dismissed with a hoof wave. "If my Guards cannot handle these Root than I will pass all military command over to my sister and provide you with your own battalion of Guards. Regardless of the outcome I was going to ask you to take command, but that may no longer be necessary." I guess Twilight wasn't the only one upset at us ripping into the Guards. 'Oh no ' The remnants thoughts chimed together, despite being unaware of that fact.
The sight before me made me cringe.
Despite my warning they kept marching, likely ignoring me and letting emotions cloud their judgement. It was fatal mistake.
Before the battle even truly begun the Rot Warts blew up in the Guards faces, instantly wiping almost half of them out, leaving about 22 Guards, now out of formation anyway, against the still 30 devils' fast approach.
The Guards' losses weren't missed either if the collective gasp and the flood of nervousness was any indication. Even Celestia got worried.
The devils collide with the still recovering Guards, meeting them with wild swings of both the axe and dagger they wield, the armor, as I thought it would, was ineffective in actual protection. Only making them slower with it's weight. Before the Guards recover enough to attack they lost 5 more, leaving 17 left.
Now with the Guards actually joining the fight the Root were being damaged, but not killed. One devil reared up with both weapons and stuck a Guard horizontally with all it's might, the armor didn't protect him. He lost his head.
At the sight of this the magic restricting us vanished and a teary-eyed Celestia told us to "Help... Save my Guards!" She hollered, getting another gasp from the crowd. We didn't even dignify her with a response. We simply went to work.
While trotting over we decided to show up the Guards, Celestia mainly, so X would hang back and use his Pistol, Scrapper gave all his Hoof Gun ammo to X, who lacked a melee weapon. All 105 of it. Normally we can't carry that much on our own but since X won't be really moving it shouldn't trouble him much.
So as Scrap and I, Hammer and Sword in hoof respectively, charged X already started raining fire upon the Root. Firing precisely between the Guards and into the Root.
Wither charging into one, making it stumble, I slashed a weakened devil beside it and then spun while jumping to give the other a mighty overhead swing, killing both. Sidestepping a thrown axe I then decapitate the offending devil while then tensing my body I turn and bring my sword around myself to put extra power into a cut that was aimed at a devil that was next to the one I just killed, almost cutting it in half.
I look to where I assume Scrapper would be, a bullet whizzing just past my face and into a devil, and he is in the process of turning two devils into toothpicks. Something he does very well.
This process was repeated for a while. Slash, smash, bang, dodge, repeat.
A Guard fell, a couple devils followed him, two Guards fell. The Root were almost gone.
I am brought back from my stray thoughts by the appearance of something that irked me greatly.
The hulking mass of wood was slowly leaving the thick brush of the forest, it's twin swords crossed in front of it as always. As the devils were cleaned up, the remaining 14 Guards saw me not celebrating with them. They soon saw it too.
Under the effects of adrenaline from their victory, the idiots attempted to charge forward and I held my blade up to the side and they heeded my unspoken command. Not wanting to repeat the tragedy of when they did that last time.
X taking the helm again "Scrapper, Hunter. You know what to do" he calls, readying the remaining shots of his pistol.
Scrapper and I silently march forward, fanning out and taking a different side of the Hunter. No ammo, this could be bad.
It's gaze follows Scrapper, despite it's blindness, it follows him perfectly.
When he enters the striking zone, it doesn't hesitate. Immediately attempting to maim him with a flurry of fast strikes. Scrapper has little trouble evading the wild attempts on his life as I chop into it's back. X begins unloading onto the Hunter as soon as it's swords dropped, it's hurt bad now. Changing it's mind it quickly turns and swings at me. I was not prepared for this and narrowly avoid it's attempt at collecting my scalp. Scrapper takes this opportunity during the lull of attacks to smash his hammer into it's side heavily, twice.
It raises it's swords to it's chest in a cross again and blocks the four bullets from X as he ceases, holding fire due to the swords in place. Deciding to top up X ejects the magazine from his Repeater Pistol, 'seeing' this the Hunter drops it's swords to it's sides and trails them behind it as it sprints towards X's position on the edge of town, in front of some shocked Guards.
X in all his glory, fumbles at the sight of this, dropping the fresh mag on the ground and he quickly leans down, picking it up. He gets/smashes it in and finishes the Hunter 35 metres away from where it SHOULD be laying. I'll never let him forget that fumble but I won't put him down over it, it was unexpected after all.
We push past the stunned Guards and reenter the town. Everypony focuses on us, the Princess and the girls included. 'I would say something about leaving the treebrary but since the Princess is there I guess I'll let it slide ' I thought to myself. They look the least surprised in this wide street, I look past them and see Town Hall in the distance.
"Guards did a splendid job Princess," X states sourly. "But next time, leave the Root slaying to the experts, that was an unnecessary loss of live."
"All the more reason to leave everything military to Luna" Celestia agrees, obviously sad at the loss of life. "She is much more attuned to the way we both had used to run Equestria but that had been one thousand years ago." I blanch at the number. 'Are they that old? Should probably avoid making any oldie jokes then '
"Warrior Princess?" X muses.
"Warrior Princess." The non-warrior Princess confirms. "We must speak in the library come, girls I want you to hear this too" They follow after a short look of confusion between them.
We trot in silence, the masses still watching in stunned silence with a mix of rising fear. Silly ponies, we defend them and they fear us for it? Guess they're quite jumpy. I'll need to remember that.
We arrive at the library and Celestia tells the girls that Twilight will remain in Ponyville, taking up the role of the town librarian and then turns to us.
"X you will remain here in the library with Twilight, I noticed you happen to get along well enough. Scrapper you will go with Applejack to Sweet Apple Acres, I believe the apple family needs an extra pair of hooves with harvest coming around soon." AJ seems shocked at the Princess's apparent knowledge of her family farm. "Hunter I believe?" I nod. "I do not know where you could stay but maybe-" She's cut of by Rainbow.
"He could come to my place! It's this awesome cloud house that I put together myself!" She exclaims with excitement permeating her features.
"While that is a kind offer Rainbow Dash, I don't believe Hunter could be accommodated at your cloud home, his not being a Pegasus" She tries to let her down gently, but Dash looks greatly disappointed.
"Actually Princess," I speak up, gaining everyponies attention. "I do have wings, they're just... different." I reveal my insectiod wings, gaining a gasp from everypony, even my Brothers since they weren't expecting my bold reveal.
Before the Princess could say something I am tackled by a purple blur of curiosity, leaving me on my stomach. Then I feel a lance of sharp pain as my left wing is nearly torn from my side, this earned a grunt of pain and surprise from me. I look over my withers to see Twilight roughly pulling the sensitive membrane from my body, examining it at an unnatural angle.
Before she could go any further she is pulled near violently off of me by Scrapper, X pulling her hooves off of my abused wing and then they stand protectively over me.
Twilight is shocked by this fast transition from looking at my wing to being thrown across the room. But she isn't as shocked as the Princess and her friends, them having clearly heard my pain and every winged creature in the room understood why. Wings, regardless of what they're made of, shouldn't be bent like that.
"Twilight!" The Princess called.
"Yes Princess?" She asked, oblivious to rising anger in the room. Directed at her.
"You have studied the anatomy of creatures with wings. Correct?" The Princess asks her, her motherly voice betraying the anger swelling within her.
"I have but I've never seen wings like that before!" Twilight exclaims with childlike excitement whilst starting at my wings, ignoring the angry stares directed at her.
"Then you are aware of how you pulled his wing, without his permission and how much pain it must have cause him when you BENT it!" I would have flinched from Celestia raising her voice but I was too busy passing out.
I slowly wake up from my surprise nap and open my eyes to observe my surroundings. I quickly shut them from the blinding light and turn over with a groan, only to regret it as pain flashes through my left wing. 'Right... forgot about that '
I turn onto my right side instead, sleep is a lost cause as I'm awake now so I open my eyes again. I'm greeted by an almost pure white room, I'd think I was dead but the window at the side of the room was filled with the orange afternoon sky. The throbbing pain in my wing kindly reminded me of my still living body.
I look at my now damaged wing and only see a white bandage. Great guess I won't be going to Rainbow's anytime soon. I sigh as I was actually looking forward to that. I could go to the World Stone but I don't necessarily need my wings to fight against any Root but I would like to heal naturally for a change. No Stone, no bloodwart, nothing. I actually wonder if my body even remembers how to repair itself. That's a funny thought. I take note of how I'm laying on a cloud couch.
I look around and see a note on a nearby nightstand, I pick it up assuming it's for me, it was.
'Hunter, Your wing was sprained by Twilight and the Doctors that examined you estimated it may take a week to fully heal. They wished to remove your clothing to give a more accurate estimation but your friends, Scrapper and X, were quite... firm about you remaining clothed. Said something about it not being time yet, I would like to know this secret of yours. If only to help make your integration into Equestria a lot smoother. Twilight was quite upset when she learned she harmed you and is very sorry, forgiving her is entirely your choice. Scrapper, X and Rainbow Dash have airlifted you to Rainbow Dash's cloud home where you will remain until your wing is healed and your home in Ponyville is constructed. It may take three months to fully finish and furnish. Scrapper and X have already finalized the plan so you don't have to worry about that. Princess Luna will arrive tomorrow to discuss a job position at Rainbow Dash's home with your friends. Until next time Hunter.
'Huh' is all I could think after taking it all in.
The near silent opening of a cloud door gains my attention. I put a plan together, a plan to welcome my housemate back. Not in a nice way.
I check my Repeater Pistol finding it full, satisfied I put it back on my flank.
Now normally I'm not one for pranks but... I have a housemate to scare the crap out of.
I crouch down low next to the open doorway to the... looking around I deduce this is the living room. 'Why's it upstairs?' I decide I'll ask after.
The cyan Pegasus turns the corner and looks to the couch I was atop of earlier, looking confusedly at it's lack of occupant. I take this opportunity to raise my Pistol behind her head, not too close as to not damage her hearing and aiming out a window as to not damage anything. I pull the trigger.
Her ears immediately pin with a shriek of surprise from the rainbow-maned creature. I burst out laughing at her expense as she lays on the ground rubbing her ears.
"What the hay was that for!" She whines while looking at me angrily, still rubbing her ears.
After calming down from my laughing fit I wait for her hearing to cone back.
"Seriously what was that for dude!" She repeats this time not rubbing her ears.
"Don't take it too seriously. Just took an opportunity to welcome my friend back into her home." I say acting like a smartass but secretly terrified of mentioning anything further than 'friend' to her.
"Don't start a prank war you can't finish..." She trails off but I felt like I had to shut her down with some facts.
"As fun as that would probably be Luna is in charge of all things military. With this in mind I'd hazard a guess and say she'll come with a proposal to my Brothers and I in regards to the Root problem," I say in monotone which sours by the end. "I honestly did this little prank because I forgot what having fun really was. I won't prank you in your house again because it's a place to relax, I probably won't even prank you until all the Root are gone if that's possible." I end with a sigh. Surprisingly offence fills the air.
"You know I told the Princess I'd keep you at my house but after that I'm not so sure anymore." She says with a mix of emotions bubbling under the surface. The most noteworthy ones being: A small amount of anger and some disappointment, I'm having a hard time deciding whether it's from the challenge she missed out on or if it's something else. I'll never truly know.
Feeling brave I ask the brash mare before me "Not so sure about what exactly?"
"If we'd get along as good as I'd hoped... I mean I thought you liked to have fun and-" She starts all sad like but stops with a glare when I start abruptly laughing.
"You silly mare! I DO love to have fun! I was just saying that, if Luna comes to me with what I think she will then I'll just be tired most of the time." I was just finishing my laughing as I started, but she doesn't relent her glare and, to my surprise, she starts getting angry.
"So now you think you can laugh at me?!? Do you think I'm stupid now?!?" I would have answered along the lines of 'No' but before I can even think of a response she lunges and punches me in the face.
Knocking my gas mask off.
Before I even register the fact that it's gone I hear a gasp and look to Rainbow with my agape jaw, accidentally flashing my sharp teeth and fangs.
Next thing I know I'm being tackled and forced onto the ground with an alarming set of things attacking my senses.
Betrayal . Anger .
Dazed from the overwhelming sensations wreaking havoc on my mind I look up at her. She's scowling at me. 'This isn't good '
"What are you?!? Some kind of freak?!?" She yells into my face provoking some ringing in my ears. Despite that something in me dies upon the word 'freak' leaving her lips.
I like to think I'm level headed but that hit too close to home. Eyes narrowing along with a building scowl her face waivers slightly. Time to change that.
I grab the scruff of fur on her chest as I pull my head back and as her head comes down, not ready for the pull, I surge my head towards hers giving her a VERY painful headbutt. Yelping she falls off me and looks at me surprised but that grew when she saw my foreleg on a collision course with her head.
I don't say anything as I stare angrily at her unconscious form.
As I turn around to pick up my bag my head is swimming with thoughts and feelings alike. 'I've never been yelled at by somepony I held so close before. It hurts. Why does it hurt so much? Why do I feel bad? She came at me! I was looking forward to spending time with her too... '
As I traverse down some stairs and exit her home I don't even register how I'm going to get down safely. I just jump. I've done more dangerous stunts before.
That didn't stop me from crashing hard as hell though.
I may have broken a rib or something like that since breathing became a chore all of a sudden but I don't worry about it I just march into the forest that borders Ponyville.
'I wonder how they'll react when they find out. ' Thinking of my Brothers as I trot into the dark forest.
"What do you mean 'I don't know where he is'?!?" Was screeched aloud among the now populated cloud house.
"Some things went down and he just left!" A now black-eyed Rainbow Dash bellowed back to the lavender unicorn.
Of course after she woke up Hunter was nowhere to be found. Realizing she scared him away she flew around the countryside before she had to give up or her wings would have given out.
Her friends, Hunter's squad was with Luna at Town Hall, came to retrieve said Remnant with a chariot being pulled by several Royal Guards. Needless to say they were upset when the injured Pegasus told them he wasn't here.
While she was getting chewed out by her friends she had to wonder why she blew up at him like she did. It worried her when she couldn't even give herself an excuse.
"Yah mean to tell us that Hunter up and left because of sum arguement?" The farmpony asked her, less than amused.
"I don't know what you want me to say! 'He's actually just outside and this is a prank'? I don't know where he is!" Rainbow answered the farmpony. She didn't know where he was. Despite the fact he hit her, twice, Then stormed off upset Rainbow too. She surprised herself when she didn't blame him, probably the reason he wore that weird thing on his face all the time, stop ponies like her trying to hurt or question him for existing.
"This is getting nowhere," Twilight groaned. "Well come on we have a killer to track down." Twilight returned to the chariot with her friends, leaving Rainbow alone.
For the first time in a while. Rainbow didn't move for a long time, not napping either. She just sat there contemplating what went wrong. She didn't like to admit to faults but there wasn't really anything else she could do but blame herself. Called him a freak just because he was different.
The door on her cloud home suddenly burst open, she doesn't look up. This isn't her! Why is she feeling like this? It's just a stallion! But she can't bring herself to act.
"Hey Rainbow Dash." The voice of a stallion called, one she knew. One that suddenly made her want to hide and not be found, but she still couldn't bring herself to move.
She heard him move up the stairs and a growing fear made it's way up her throat.
X turned the corner and regarded the very upset mare. "You might not want to talk to me or even want me here. But that doesn't change the fact that I found Hunter in this 'Everfree forest' and couldn't help but notice his cheer was gone, and his gas mask was too," X's voice wasn't cold but it certainly wasn't friendly. "So you saw what he was, unveiled his deepest secret and evidently freaked out. Your black eye shows me you pushed him too far, maybe said the wrong thing."
Rainbow only wilted as he went on, this only made her feel worse.
"Now I'm sure you know that, as his Brother, I'm pissed and I'm sure Scrapper wants to rip your head off. But I'm not going to touch you," He informed her. "It doesn't matter what I think, only he can say what happens to you but I will tell you something. He was quite fond of you Rainbow, he might not admit it anytime soon but I know he is. I believe you are too, you were pretty excited to have him stay with you." He then gave her a choice. His tone firm.
"He's at the World Stone, do what you will. The balls in your court now. But it's likely the only shot you'll get." X left after he was done, not wanting to linger in her presence.
Rainbow didn't move for some time after that but when she did she took to the skies, flying to the Everfree.
I sat in the dirt staring at the World Stone. I wanted to leave so badly but I didn't want to go. I wish I had my mask on tighter, wouldn't be in this mess then. I'm not sure what I expected when it came off, it's usually the same reaction, instant rejection.
*Sigh*
I guess I could hang around a bit more, X and Scrapper seem to like it here. I'll stay if they want me to. I won't abandon my Brothers over a little heartbreak.
I didn't see the cyan mare peek through the bushes.
Author's Note
May seem rushed or poorly paced but this is I only just popped my fic cherry so we'll get there.